Believe me when I tell you, there is nothing more humbling than slightly soiling yourself at work. Although it could have been much worse, an experience like this really tests how comfortable you are in your own skin. Now I don’t mean that I flaunted this to the office. But I handled the situation discretely and effectively. I didn’t make a big deal about it, I remained calm, and most importantly I cleaned up.
I could make all the excuses in the world why this happened, like my girlfriend got me sick or I drank too much coffee. But truth be told, I don’t really feel sick and all I had this morning was a cup of tea. It was just a bad moment and anyone who says they haven’t been there I think is lying. Maybe it wasn’t at work for others, but perhaps it was somewhere public or if they’re lucky, in the comfort of their own home. This could have been a lot worse. And I’m sure it has for some. I was able to get to the bathroom without making a fuss or drawing attention to myself. While I was in there, I simply cleaned up the best I could which was good enough temporarily. But this gave me time to go back to my desk, grab my coat, and scooter home quickly to get new underwear and pants on. Good thing I live close to my work and good thing I have a pair of pants that are practically identical to the ones I was wearing. In other words, I was able to make virtually a seamless switch-a-roo and be back at my desk in about 25 minutes.
I realize I may be coming off as confident and in control. And for the most part, I do feel that way. However, I’d be lying if I told you I still have a few concerns. For one, I hope no one noticed. I’m human and still succumb to my peers’ opinion of me and the reputation of soil kid wouldn’t be good to my self-esteem. Another concern is the smell. Apologies in advance if I gross you out, but the package was mostly of a liquid consistency. So, there was some residue the seeped through my pants. I hope that there is no smell lingering around. My main concern is that it doesn’t affect my co-workers. I don’t want them uncomfortable and I took actions like doubling up on cologne to make sure my smell concern isn’t an issue.
All in all, I cleaned up after myself, did not bring attention to myself, and did not affect any of my co-workers to my knowledge. I stayed relatively calm for something like this. I’m proud of myself and my problem solving and risk mitigation abilities because they absolutely take into effect here. I was given a problem and I got out of it without merely no repercussions to myself and zero repercussions to the office or my coworkers. I was forced to make difficult decisions and made them. I had to balance the pros and cons of each potential strategy and chose the one that was best for me, the office, and my coworkers. I’ve always been proud of my ability to weigh my options, and this event has given me more confidence to handle difficult situations.
Lesson learned.
Dabbl 